As Thailand is particulary hot and humid, you will sweat as if you are melting in hell for the murder of an entire race of people. I was drinking about 5L per session! (But I was also taking pre-workout supplements, which make you extra sweaty.)

You really don’t want to forget your gym towel.

The best way to keep this economical is to buy the 6L bottles from one of the mini-markets (approx $1) and refill them at any water-refilling station (usually located close to the mini-markets). The cost to refill them is 5 THB which is less than 20 cents!

3. Supplements

I took a bunch of supplements. A daily Emergen-C to replenish my electrolytes, Two-scoops of Dynamatize protein powder a day and a Jack3d pre-workout drink. I don’t think supplements are compulsory but I feel that the pre-workout did give me that edge.

With regards to the protein, I guess you could probably get that all cheaper from local food. Supplements are expensive in Thailand, so you are better off bringing them from home if you can. Besides, as Muay Thai is mostly cardio, I’m not sure how important a protein supplement really is. It did however help with sticking to a more discipled eating plan.

4. Pace and Recovery

I was very careful to pace myself, not to get injured. With such vigorous training and your body only having one day a week to recover, this was critical. (Having said that, I made the mistake of going out and getting plastered on my first weekend. Not only did that hinder the recovery process but I ended up with a nasty exhaust burn on my right calf. At least I learnt my lesson and didn’t drink for the rest of my stay.)

One of my best decisions was to go for regular massages. I went for 12 massages in one month! Make no mistake, Thai massages aren’t fun or relaxing. It’s more like a cross between yoga and medieval torture. But I’m certain it helps with your recovery and flexibility. (Note: in some places, you will get a discount if you say that you are a Muay Thai student)

I also rented a motorbike, which was a small luxury but made my stay in Phuket much more fun. And at a cost of $40/week, it was fairly reasonable.

One mistake I made was to get the one-on-one instruction in my final week. I should have definitely had done it in my first week, which would have corrected my technique earlier. It is well worth the investment and I think the trainers take you a bit more seriously then, too.

About

I'm a Kiwi [key-weeee] i.e. New Zealander (yes, famous for such things as kiwifruit, sheep, Lord of the Rings & Flight of the Conchords). I used to blog about working & living on cruise ships. Now I blog about being an expat in Vancouver, BC and my (mis)adventures.